Mark 12:16
“They brought it. He said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.””
What does Mark 12:16 mean?
Jesus is asking a straightforward question, but it's actually a turning point in the conversation. The religious leaders have just handed him a Roman coin, trying to trap him into either opposing taxes or appearing unpatriotic. When they readily admit the coin bears Caesar's image and name, they're accidentally providing the answer to their own trap. Jesus is about to use their own words to point out something they hadn't considered: if the coin belongs to Caesar because it bears his image, then what about the things that bear God's image?